Safe Passage

A new organization sets out to take drunk drivers off the streets

By Amanda O’Donnell

Published: June 30, 2014

It was just a few months ago that former bartender Sara Levine was like many residents, giving the city’s late-night transportation system and inadequate overnight parking a big fail. “We’ve built this amazing city with a thriving nightlife but haven’t provided the transportation options a city like that needs,” she says. “Given options, people would always rather make a responsible decision.”

Hearing others voice their frustrations, along with the discussion that followed the car crash that killed four people during SXSW, prompted Levine to make a spur-of-the-moment decision to draft a petition March 24 on change.org. It simply stated that the citizens of Austin wanted “better options for getting home after a night of drinking.” Pretty soon, the signatures began rolling in. (By the end of May, nearly 4,000 had signed it.) The citywide support led to the founding of ATX Safer Streets, a grassroots group of advocates who are fighting for improved public transportation and fewer pedestrian deaths.

After speaking at city council meetings, organizing free events to get the word out and conducting surveys to gauge what sort of changes people want to see, the group is starting to get results. In May, the city council approved a pilot rideshare program that could allow apps like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city in the near future. Also, with TxDOT on board, the city began allowing overnight parking on weekends at the downtown lots under I-35 and announced it was waiving tickets for people who could prove they took an alternate form of transportation due to being intoxicated.

There’s still more work ahead, as ATX Safer Streets is now seeking to extend hours for Cap Metro buses and launching a fund for victims of drunk drivers. Levine is hopeful that safe-transportation advocacy groups like hers can give more of a voice to the complaints many of us have found ourselves muttering after a late night downtown. “One survey said 94 percent of people would take a late bus home if there were that option,” she says. “If that’s not a clear public request that our city needs to address, I don’t know what is.”

Also Taking a Bite Out of Crime...

In December, the website Nextdoor launched a partnership with the Austin Police Department and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, creating a way for users to alert their neighbors about crimes and safety concerns in their vicinity. “It’s a virtual neighborhood watch that lets neighbors look out for each other and connect with the police,” says Jenn Burke, the communications manager for Nextdoor. Described as a “hyper-local Craigslist,” where people can post everything from lost and found items to garage sales to plumber recommendations, Nextdoor has users in more than 430 areas of Austin.